Bulletproof!
by DarkDaughter1318
Summary: Post Last Sacrifice; Dimitri agrees to go on the hunting trip with Abe and Janine. This is a three shot about how it goes, and what's said. Dimitri's ready to take a bullet for Roza and his relationship, but will he have too?
1. Bob and Weave!

I laid across the bed, as I watched him dig through the closet, looking for something to wear. I couldn't believe he was actually going through with this. I'd said it before and I'll say it again, the love of my life was a bad ass. He was risking his life to go on a hunting trip with my mother and father, just for their approval so he could be with me. I still feared for his life. My parents –mostly my mother- and Dimitri with firearms could not be a good combination.

"You really don't have to do this."

"I do. If I don't their going to think I'm a coward, and they're going to deem me unworthy to be by your side, and I will not be letting that happen." He stated simply.

"Dimitri, they could shoot you." I said.

"You've been shot. Then we'd have something else in common." He teased. My hand moved to my chest instinctively. He smiled and walked over to the bed to sit down beside me. "They aren't going to shoot me, Roza."

"Have you met my father? Better yet, have you met my mother?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Yes, I have. She likes me." He told me. I laughed then, causing him to raise an eyebrow at me. I narrowed my eyes as he flaunted yet another skill.

"She'll like you until she gets you out into the wilderness with a huge firearm, and then she won't like you so much. Especially when my father starts to question your intentions, and everything else." I explained to him. He smiled.

"What could they possibly ask me that's going to make them shoot me?"

"Did you have sex with my daughter before she was eighteen?" I said, mimicking my father's voice. He raised an eyebrow again.

"You really think they're going to ask me that?"

"God, yes. They're going to rape your mind of questions about our relationship." I said, running my hands through my hair. He laughed. "I know you're incapable of lying to them, so you're going to tell them the truth, and then-." I made a gun with my fingers and pointed it at him.

"So what? We had sex before you were legal. You consented to it."

"It won't matter to them. You know my mother thinks that I act 'to grow up' and that I don't really know anything." I told him. He shook his head, and walked back over to the closet.

"You've always been mature for your age." He said.

"She doesn't think so. And you only think that because-." He cut me off with a look. I giggled, causing him to shake his head at me. He pulled out a pair of black pants, and a black t-shirt.

"I guess this will have to work. I don't own hunting clothes." He said.

"Because you're the one being hunted in this case."

"Oh Roza, stop. I'm going to be fine." He said.

"If you come back with bullet holes, Dimitri Belikov… I'm holding you personally responsible." I snapped at him. He chuckled.

"I nursed you back to health when you came back with bullet holes." I rolled my eyes at him.

"This is different; you know what you're walking into tomorrow. I didn't know when I was shot, smartass." He walked over, and pushed me back onto the bed, crawling over top of me.

"I'm going to be fine."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive." He told me.

"If you expect to come home without injuries, you're going to have to lie to them."

"I'm not going to lie to them, Rose. If your mother is anything like you, which I know she is, she can call my bluff." He told me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm nothing like that woman."

"You're just like her." He said.

"I don't look like her." I stated. He shook his head, and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.

"No, you're dead sexy."

"She's not." I said. He laughed.

"I didn't say it… you did." He informed me.

"You were thinking it. I could see it in your eyes." I accused. He laughed, and brought his mouth to mine. When he pulled away, I sighed.

"You think they'll let me come with you guys?"

"You know better than that." He said. I groaned. "Plus, you with a gun is more dangerous than both of them put together."

"Hey…" I said.

"You'd probably be the one to shoot me. Not one of them."

"I would never." I said, crossing my arms, and acting offended.

"Rose, I was teasing."

"If I wanted to shoot you, I would have done it already." I informed him. He laughed.

"You're probably right." He said. I rolled my eyes, and brought his mouth back to mine. Just as I was seriously getting into it, there was a knock at the door. He pulled away, causing me to groan.

"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, he got up so I could stand.

"There's got to be some kind of royal repellant we can spray that will keep them away." This caused him to laugh. I loved hearing it. It was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. I opened the door to find Lissa and Christian. I sighed.

"Hey guys…" I said.

"We interrupting something?" Lissa asked, obviously sensing my mood. I turned around to find Dimitri in the bedroom, folding the clothes he'd decided to wear for tomorrow.

"No, you're not. Come on in." I told her, opening the door wider. "Just giving Dimitri a pep talk about his hunting trip tomorrow."

"You're asking to die, aren't you Belikov?" Christian called.

"No, I'm doing this to keep them off our back."

"I'm thinking you better watch your back." Lissa said, smirking.

"They're not going to shoot me."

"Bob and weave, Dimitri, bob and weave." Christian said, smiling.

"See, I told you. They know how dangerous this is too. You're an idiot." I told him. Lissa laughed.

"That's kind of harsh." She said.

"It's tough love, he's used to it." I told her, smirking. Dimitri nodded in agreement.

"I'll be fine." He said.

"While he's gone, you and I are going down to the spa for a much needed day of relaxation." She told me.

"We are?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Rose… We are. Ambrose said he'd hook me and you up. He said he doesn't see you around much anymore. He misses you." She told me.

"Of course he does. Everyone normally does when they're deprived of my beautiful face for too long." Christian coughed a laugh, so I kicked him. He narrowed his eyes.

"Owe?" He snapped.

"Don't be a d-bag." I retorted. He rolled his eyes and rubbed his leg where my foot had connected. "So, tomorrow, we're doing a spa day? Is he going with us?" I asked, motioning to Christian. "You look like you could use a facial."

"No, he's got other things to do." Lissa said, he voice changing slightly. I noticed, and so did Dimitri. Christian looked down.

"Things like what?"

"He's-." Lissa started, but Christian cut her off.

"I'm going to see my Aunt." He told me, voice hard. I suddenly felt bad for my teasing.

"Christian, I'm sorry-." He shook his head.

"Don't apologize. You didn't mean anything by it… I know."

"Are you sure going to see her is a good idea? Maybe one of us should go with you, I mean-." He shook his head.

"No… I need to do this alone. I need to talk to her, and I doubt she'll talk if anyone else is around." He explained. He then chuckled. "Especially you."

"I guess you're right."

"Alright, well now that that's out of the way, we're going to the spa tomorrow, Dimitri's going….hunting, and Christian is going to see his aunt. It's our first girl's day in like… a million years, and we've got to take advantage of it."

"I guess you're right." I told her. She nodded.

"I am. So, as soon as Dimitri leaves in the morning, which I'm sure will be early, you're to come by my room."

"Yes, your majesty." I said. She growled at me.

"You know I hate it when you do that."

"That's why she does it." Dimitri said. I laughed and nodded.

"He's right."

"I know. Well, we'll let you two get back to… whatever it was you were doing. I'll see you tomorrow morning, and don't make me come after you." She warned.

"I'm so scared." I teased. She rolled her eyes.

"Bye." She said, as her and Christian started to walk out. Right before Christian shut the door, I called to him.

"Hey, Christian?"

"Yeah?" He asked, turning back around.

"If I don't see you before you leave tomorrow… Good luck." I told him.

"Thanks." He said, before nodding at me and shutting the door. Once they were gone, I turned to Dimitri.

"I don't think him seeing her is a good idea."

"She's his aunt though, and the only real family he has. He's going to want answers." He said.

"I still don't think he should go alone."

"If you go down there with him, she'll light you on fire." He told me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'd like to see that bitch try." I said. He shook his head, and pulled me into his arms. "I'm going to be worried about you all day tomorrow, you know? It's going to be impossible to relax while you're with…. them." I said, making it sound like a dirty word. He smiled.

"There's not going to be any reason to worry, Roza. You need a day to relax, and Lissa's right. Since she's become queen, you and her haven't had much girl time. You two were friends before you were guardian and charge. Remember that." He said. I nodded.

"I'm going to be laying in a chair, being pampered thinking of you being shot at by my mother and father."

"They aren't going to shoot at me, Rose."

"You'll see. When you come back with a hole in your chest, I'm not going to baby you. You're going to have to suck it up, and deal with it."

"But I babied you when you had a hole in your chest." He complained, tilting my face up to his, and kissing me sweetly.

"That's different. I saved a life… you're putting yours at risk."

"Yes, I'm putting my life at risk for our relationship." He told me.

"I'm sure out relationship would be just fine if you refused this hunting trip." I said, shaking my head. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm going. I already agreed, so there's nothing I can do now. If I back out, they're going to know you talked me out of it." He said.

"Exactly. Tell them I said you couldn't go. They know how demanding I am, they'd believe that." I said. He shook his head.

"I'm going, and that's all there is to it, Roza."

"Fine. I just hope you're a little more bulletproof than I was." I said. He chuckled.

"I love you."

"I love you too, jerk."

"I'm not a jerk. Take it back." He said.

"No." I said stepping away from him. He grabbed me, and threw me onto the couch, tickling me.

"Take it back."

"NO!" I screamed, trying to get away from him.

"Take it back, or I'm not stopping."

"Fine… I'm sorry. I take it back." I cried. He laughed and stood up.

"I win."

"I hate you." I growled playfully. He smirked and leaned down to kiss me. I grabbed him, pulling him onto the couch and rolling on top of him. I brought my mouth to his, and kissed him all too persuasively. I finally pushed myself up off him, and walked away. He sat up, looking sort of dazed, as I turned to him and laughed.

"Pay backs are a bigger bitch than I am." He growled at me, as he stood up off the couch, straightening himself out. I giggled. We eventually showered, and laid down in bed. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm as ready as I can be. I'll be without your beautiful face all day tomorrow."

"I know, whatever will you do?" I teased. He laughed and kissed me.

"Goodnight, my Roza."

"Night." I whispered, before cuddling up into his side, and slowly falling asleep.


	2. The Arrival!

**DIMITRI'S POV**

When I woke up the next morning, Roza was still asleep in my arms. I leaned over to look at the clock and saw that I had about an hour until her mother and father would be here for our trip today. I'd never admit this to her, but I was sincerely nervous about today. It wasn't that I was worried about getting shot, I was worried about their approval, what they would think of me after they got to know be better. It bothered me more than anything else. I tried to remove my arms from her without waking her, but as soon as I made a move to remove my arms from around her, she grabbed me, holding me tighter.

"No." She murmured softly. I smiled. I pressed a kiss right below her ear, and smiled.

"I have to get up and start getting ready. They'll be here soon." I explained. She shook her head, and cuddled closer into me.

"No… You're not going. You're going to stay right here with me… forever." She murmured her voice thick with sleep. I'd never tell her, but her voice full of sleep was probably the sexiest thing in my world. I chuckled slightly.

"Come on, Roza." I said, patting her leg. She shook her head. "You have date with Lissa today, remember that."

"I'd skip it to stay in bed with you." She whispered to me, pressing a kiss to my neck. I swear, the things this woman did to me. I really didn't consider it fair. The power she held over me was something I just couldn't seem to control.

"You don't fight fair." I murmured, running my fingers through her hair, it feeling like silk against my skin.

"I fight dirty, comrade. You know that." She murmured, pressing a kiss to my throat. I growled. She giggled into the crook of my neck, causing goosebumps to rise.

"Your parents are going to be here soon." I told her. She groaned and rolled over.

"Don't remind me." She muttered as she sat up, and rubbed her eyes. I reached up, and moved the hair out of her face, and smiled.

"Goodmorning beautiful." I said, telling my fingers slide off her face. She smiled, and I swear it lit up the room around us. I loved being able to wake up to that every morning. It was knowing that I was waking up with her by my side that made getting up in the morning bearable.

"I love waking up to that every morning." She murmured. I smiled.

"I try to make it an enjoyable experience, hoping you won't ever want to wake up beside anyone else." I admitted. She shook her head, and pulled me in for one of those 'blow-your-mind-Rose-Hathaway-kisses' that I loved. When she pulled away, she continued to hold my face in her hands.

"That's never going to happen… ever."

"Good." I said, simply. I rolled out of bed, and over to where my clothes were, and started to change. She didn't make a move to get out of bed. "You're going to have a super pissed off queen on your butt if you don't get up." I told her.

"She can wait." She muttered, finally forcing herself to roll out of bed. She walked into the bathroom to get dressed as I pulled on my jeans and boots. When she walked out of the bathroom, she groaned.

"Remind me why we're doing this?" I asked.

"I'm doing this because I feel it's what's right, and you're hanging out with Lissa because it's you girl's day and… Well, she's kind of given you no choice." I told her, smirking. She groaned and threw herself back on the bed.

"I don't wanna go."

"You say that now, but you're going to get down there with Ambrose and Lissa, and you're going to have a good time, and you're going to regret saying that." I told her. She just looked at me, knowing I was completely right. I walked over to the bed, and crawled over her, smirking when I was straddling her waist.

"We're both going to have a good day today." I told her.

"I will… until I get the call that you've been shot in the chest."

"Oh, don't start." I said, shaking my head. She smirked up and me, and reached up to wrap her arms around my neck, and pull my mouth down to hers. Her kisses sent my body into a frenzy, and it was hard to keep any real self-control when she was with me like this. When I finally forced myself away from her, I smiled down at her.

"I love you."

"I love you too, comrade." She said. I shook my head and smirked. As much as I hated her calling me that back at the academy, I'd missed it more than anything in the time we were apart. I didn't mind it so much anymore. It reminded me of the good times we'd had, the days when our love was blossoming. I rolled off her, and stood up. The moment I glanced over at the clock, there was a knock on the door.

"Oh joy, it's mommy and daddy." Rose muttered, rolling her eyes. I chocked a laugh as I shook my head at her.

"Would you like to get the door?" I asked. She groaned.

"Of course." She got up, and walked over to it, taking a deep breath before opening it. When she did, it revealed Abe and Janine, dressed up in dark colors with paint on their face. Abe had even dressed down for the occasion, which kind of shocked me. I didn't think I'd ever seen that man in anything other than a suit and a scarf.

"Hello mom, old man." Rose said, nodding.

"Hey there kiddo. Miss me?" Abe asked her as he stepped inside behind Janine. Janine's eyes were on me, and suddenly, I wondered if Rose had been right about her mother shooting me.

"Oh, you don't understand how much I've missed you. There aren't words." Rose feigned. Abe shook his head.

"She's just like you Janine."

"I'm nothing like her." Rose snapped quickly. The conversation from last night entered my mind, and I could see it was where hers was too because she was smiling. Her father took a few steps towards me, and extended a hand.

"It's good to see you again, Belikov." He said.

"Nice to see you again too, Mr. Mazur."

"Please, call me Abe." He said. I nodded.

"Yes sir." I said. I turned to Janine. "It's good to see you again, Guardian Hathaway." I knew I wouldn't be on a first name basis with her.

"Guardian Belikov." She said, nodding once.

"Please, call me Dimitri." I said. She nodded once again.

"Are you ready for our trip?" Abe asked me. I looked at Rose to see her nose wrinkled. I looked back to Abe, and nodded.

"Yes sir, I am."

"Good. It's going to be a fun time." He assured me. Somehow, I doubted that. Janine didn't look like she was interested in having fun at all. I wondered if she'd ever had fun since she became a guardian. From the looks of it, I didn't think so. Rose spoke up then.

"If you bring him back in less than the perfect condition that you got him in, I swear both of you will pay."

"What do you think we're going to do? Shoot him?" Abe asked. Janine looked down the moment the words left his lips, and suddenly… I didn't want to go on this trip anymore.

"Mother!" Rose growled. Janine laughed, which was definitely a strange sound, but it was much like Rose's laugh. It was easy to see where she got that from.

"I'm not going to shoot him, Rose. I don't want to go to jail." She said. _So, if she wouldn't go to jail, she would shoot me. _That was good to know.

"You better be nice to him." Rose said. Janine nodded.

"Yes ma'am." She said, sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, we'll let's go."

"Behave." Rose told them as they walked out. I walked over to her, and kissed her.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She said. She took my face in her hands, and met my eyes. "Please, be careful… and remember what Christian said… If push comes to shove, bob and weave." I chuckled.

"I'll see you later. Have a good time with Lissa."

"You know it." She told me as I walked out, not sure what I was really walking into.

**A/N: Alright guys, there's one more chapter after this, which will be the hunting trip, mixed with Lissa and Rose's girl day, and possibly even a little bit of Christian and Tasha, just because I kind of wonder what that conversation would turn out like, so… the last chapter will probably be up in a day or two. I'm going to take my time on it and make it good. **


	3. The Trip!

**DIMITRI'S POV**

We sat in a tree stand, up high in the woods. As if being around Rose's mother and father having guns wasn't enough, we were at the top of a tree… in a stand… that they could so easily push me out of. This trip just got better and better. Abe sat at the edge of the stand, gun and binoculars in hand. I watched over the edge, looking down at the ground. We were maybe two… three stories up. My stomach became a little queasy thinking of numbers. I knew Dhampirs could survive a fall, but this one I wasn't so sure of.

"So, Belikov-." Abe started. I jumped, turning to him.

"Yes sir?" I said, quickly.

"You fancy my daughter, eh?" _And so it began. _

"Yes sir, I do." I said, simply. Janine shook her head.

"You two were together when you were her mentor?" He asked. Janine looked up at him, then to me. She didn't say anything, but she already knew the answer.

"I wouldn't say we were exactly together-." I started.

"Then what would you call it?" Abe interjected.

"We weren't a couple, per say. We didn't really interact much… romantically; I mean…a few stolen kisses here and there." I explained.

"She loved you?" He asked.

"She didn't know what love was then." Janine said.

"It's only been about a year, Janine. You think she learned that quickly?" Abe asked.

"She doesn't know as much as she thinks she does." Janine said. It was just what Rose said. Her mother thought very little of her at times.

"You love her?" Abe asked.

"With everything I am."

"Any history of drugs?" He asked me. I chuckled.

"No sir?"

"Any history of abuse?" He asked. I looked down. He sat up in his chair.

"What?" Janine asked, face completely serious.

"I wouldn't call it a history. It was a one time thing, and I was sixteen. I wouldn't call it abuse. I'd call it more of an ass kicking." I said, for lack of a better term.

"Explain."

"When I was sixteen, my father used to beat up on my mother a lot. I watched it growing up, and finally got tired of it. I beat the hell out of him… and I haven't seen him since." I told both of them. Rose was the only one I'd ever told that story too. I knew I couldn't lie to them though.

"You grew up in abuse?"

"I guess I did, yes sir."

"You don't plan on abusing Rose, do you? I know most children that grew up in it tend to-." I cut Janine off, knowing where she was going.

"No ma'am. I'd never hurt her. Plus, I know she could take me out if I tried." I told them.

"The one good thing about her being a guardian." Abe said.

"One?" Janine snapped.

"We're not doing this now." He told her, shaking his head. He turned back to me. "When she was in Russia, she was after you… correct?"

"Yes sir." I said, knowing this conversation had already taken a turn for the worst, and they hadn't even asked if we'd had sex while she was underage yet. Somehow, I knew that was coming, regardless.

"Did you she ever find you?"

"She didn't find me… I found her." I told him, simply. I looked down, not wanting to look at them.

"What happened when you found her?" He asked me. I took a deep breath.

"I knocked her out, and took her back to the estate I was residing in." I saw Janine tense, and Abe's eyebrows furrowed.

"What happened there?" Janine said, through clenched teeth.

"I kept her as my prisoner. I was going to awaken her. I wanted her to be willing though, so I tried to convince her how much she'd love it. I wanted her to be mine, because I knew what an asset she'd be to me in the strigoi world. She didn't want it though, as much as I tried to convince her. She finally formulated a plan to escape, and she did." I told them, staring at my hands. I saw the gun Abe was holding quiver slightly.

"But it didn't stop there?" Abe asked.

"No sir… I came after her, waiting on her to leave the wards, and when she did… I went after her, going to turn her by force, but she got away. I finally realized the only way I'd get her to give in to me was if I took what she prized most…. Lissa."

"And that's when you were restored." Janine stated. I nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

"You pushed her away then." Abe said, remembering back to his days at court. I nodded.

"I felt I wasn't capable of loving her after being a strigoi. I knew she deserved something better, someone who could love her to the potential she deserved. I kept picturing myself hurting her, wanting to kill her, make her undead like I was. I wouldn't ever be able to let it go, and I knew I'd be holding her back." I explained. Janine gave me a look that reminded me much of something Rose would have done.

"But you're together now?"

"After we left court to clear Rose's name, I started to realize that I loved her. I mean, I knew all along, but I realized that I wanted to be with her. Of course, at the time she was with Adrian." I told them. Guilt coursed through my veins as I remembered him seeing us together that day. If I felt guilty about anything, it was that I felt most guilty about.

"So… Rose and you-." Abe started. I sighed.

"I feel bad about the way things happened with Adrian. I regret it every second. I never thought I would pursue another man's girlfriend in my life. I liked to think I was honorable, and too much of a man to stoop to that, but it happened. I knew Adrian hates me, and I don't blame him. I would too. I respect him so much, regardless of our past relationship. I would apologize, given the chance… but I haven't seen him. I heard he left court."

"He did." Janine said, dryly. I nodded.

"I would have too, in his shoes." I said.

"You're a good man, Belikov… I can see that." Abe told me. I didn't feel like a good man. After telling that story, I felt horrible about myself. I wanted to be at court, with Rose, so she could comfort me like she so often did.

"A good man? He pursued your daughter before she was of legal age." Janine said. It was obviously a difficult task to win her over.

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Janine… We know that." He said to her. She growled and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't bring that up… That's completely different, and you know it." She snapped. He shook his head, and smiled slightly.

"It isn't… and you know it." He told her. She rolled her eyes at him, looking just like Rose when she did it. I smiled slightly, but it faded when Janine turned to me. I watched as something clicked in her head, and I was scared to find out what it was. Turns out… I was right.

"Did you and Rose have sex before she was eighteen?" She asked me. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I knew nothing I could say would make the answer to this any better. A million answers were rolling through my head, as I tried to pick the right one, but no matter how I worded it, it would still be the same… I'd had sex with a minor. I didn't care… I loved her, and knew I'd never love anyone else, but I knew they wouldn't see it that way. I saw Abe's grip on the gun tighten as he looked at me. He was obviously rethinking his statement about me being a good man.

"Yes… I did." I finally said. I heard his teeth grind together.

"I can't believe I didn't see it. I saw how she was with you… I should have known."

"Before she was eighteen?" Abe muttered.

"Yes sir." I said. An apology was on the tip of my tongue, but I wasn't sorry about what happened. It was everything both her and I wanted. I wasn't going to apologize for what made us happy. She'd needed me that night, and I'd needed her. I wasn't going to apologize for something that wasn't wrong.

"Belikov… that isn't-."

"I'm not sorry." I stated simply. I watched as his father mode went into overdrive.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"I loved her, as she loved me. I hated not being able to show her how much I loved her due to what others would think. She was under so much pressure. She was losing it. It was the time when darkness became a prominent in her life back at the academy and she was under so much stress. She needed me. I needed her. It may be wrong to you… she's your daughter, and I know no matter how I word it, it's always going to sound the same… She was underage, but I'm not sorry. If I could go back, I wouldn't change it." I explained. I could tell they weren't expecting me to say anything like that. I hadn't been either to be honest. Janine was glaring at me, although I don't think she ever stopped glaring since she'd showed up at the house this morning. Regardless, I looked down.

"I understand." Abe said.

"I'm sorry… What?" Janine screeched.

"I understand… I can tell they love each other, and if he's brave enough to say all that here in front of her parents, it's obvious. If you were in his shoes, you would have lied."

"I wouldn't have done it in the first place… You're twenty-four years old. Rose was a child. She's still a child. You should have known better, Belikov." She barked at me.

"Nothing you can say is going to change how I feel about her, Guardian Hathaway." I told her. She stood up out of the chair she was in, gun still in hand. Abe jumped up.

"Janine, calm down." He told her.

"Why are you so okay with this?"

"She's eighteen now, Janine… What can we do?" He asked her. I'd never expected Abe to be so reasonable, and so on my side.

"I… She… She's still a child. She doesn't know anything. She hasn't been in the real world as long as you have, Dimitri. She doesn't know anything. She's young, and naive. You should be able to see that." She told me. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry; Guardian Hathaway but you're seriously underestimating your daughter."

"You don't know anything." She growled.

"I know her better than you do." I said, calmly. She growled, and the gun in her hand quivered.

"You're an idiot."

"Janine, calm down. He's probably right. He's spent more time with her." Abe said.

"She's my daughter, my flesh and blood, I know her better than all of you."

"What's her favorite color? What's her favorite food? How bad does she hate it when people baby her? What color is her aura? You don't know her like I do, Janine. You're underestimating her. She's stronger and wiser than a lot of people would think… but you being her mother, you should know." I told her. She narrowed her eyes at me. She sat back down in her chair, and Abe sat back down to. Her glanced out of the stand, and pulled the binoculars to his face, spotting something in the distance, he aimed and fired. We heard the bullet hit, causing him to smile.

"Got em'." He said. "Come on Belikov, let's go get it." He threw Janine a look before starting down the ladder, and I followed. I hoped the war was over for now, as I followed Abe over to the buck he'd shot.

**ROSE'S POV**

I sat in a chair beside Lissa with Ambrose rubbing my feet. I'll admit, as much as I complained, I was happy to be here. I missed my girl time with Lissa, even though we were normally together, it wasn't really the same.

"So, how are you and Dimitri?" She asked. Ambrose looked up at me and smiled.

"We're good." I told her. "How about you and fire boy? Now that he's Lord Ozera, and all?"

"He's still working on getting used to his title. He doesn't like it, but he's dealing."

"And of course, what about yourself, your majesty?" I asked her. She narrowed her eyes at me. Ambrose frowned slightly. I'd completely forgotten that he and Tatiana had been close. I looked down. "Hey, Ambrose… I'm sorry. I completely forgot… I didn't think-." He cut me off with a shake of his head.

"Its fine, Rose. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"This is so relaxing. I'm glad we got to do this." Lissa said.

"Me too. I needed a break." I told her. In the back of my mind, I was wondering how the hunting trip was going. I wondered if they'd shot him full of holes yet. Somehow, it wouldn't surprise me.

"You seem distracted."

"Just wondering if Dimitri's going to come back with holes in his chest." I said, smirking. Lissa narrowed her eyes.

"It's not funny, Rose." She said. She didn't take me being shot lightly.

"I know, I know… I'm sorry." I told her. As we sat and relaxed, talking about random things, Ambrose finally looked up at us.

"So, has anyone heard from Lord Ivashkov? I heard he disappeared." He said. My heart got heavy as soon as his name left his lips. I felt horrible for what had happened between us, and I knew I was the reason he left. Lissa looked over at me. Even without the bond, she knew exactly what was going on in my head.

"Rose, you've got to stop blaming yourself." She murmured.

"It's my fault, Lissa. There's no one else to blame."

"He left on his own terms. You didn't run him off." She said.

"No… He left because of me, Lissa. Don't get that mixed up. I don't blame him. I would have done the same in his shoes." I admitted, feeling all the more guilty.

"Rose, he'll be fine, and come back, and forgive you like he always does."

"Not this time. He won't this time. You didn't see his face that night in the room. He's never going to forgive me…Ever. I wouldn't forgive me." I admitted, looking down.

"Rose, stop. You're cramping our good mood." She said. I rolled my eyes.

"I can't help feel guilty. I wish you understood."

"I wish I could too, but Rose… It's the past. We've got to move on from it."

"I know." I admitted.

"And to answer your question, yes Ambrose… I have talked to him. He's fine." Lissa said. I wanted to ask about him, but I felt I was better off not knowing. After our pedicure, we went to get our nails done. I once again, picked a beautiful shade of gold, almost the same color of the Alchemist tattoos. That's when Sydney popped into my head. I wondered how she was, and what had happened to the alchemists after the bombs fell here. I knew they'd packed up and left the moment they got word that they could. I didn't blame them. Regardless of how close Sydney and I have grown… We would always be undead creatures of the night. Lissa and I finished our manicures before we got massages, and then went to hang out on the back deck.

"We need to take a trip." I said.

"Where?" She asked.

"Anywhere but here. We need to get away for awhile."

"Haven't you been away long enough?" She asked me. I chuckled.

"Nah. I'll never stop going. I love going different places. Russia is beautiful." I told her. She smiled slightly. It was silent for a few minutes before she turned to me.

"I wonder how Christian is doing." She said. No sooner than she said that, her phone rang. "Oh boy. It's him."

**CHRISTIAN'S POV**

When the guardians opened the door for me to enter the cells, I stopped right inside the door. I wasn't sure if I was really ready for this as much as I thought I was. I knew I needed to see her, talk to her about what happened, but now that I was here, I wasn't sure I could do it. She'd almost shot Lissa, and she did shoot Rose. She killed Adrian's aunt… I mean, what was I supposed to do with all that? How was she any better than my parents who turned into strigoi? I took a few steps and started down the hall to her cell. When I reached the one that she was in, she looked up at me from the silver bench she was lying on.

"Christian?" She said, jumping up and running to the bars. I took a few steps back, away from her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." I replied dryly. She could obviously sense my unease… She was my aunt.

"You're afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid." I stated simply.

"Then what are you, because you're not happy to see me." She said.

"How do you expect me to be after you almost shot the love of my life?"

"It was an accident, Christian." She said.

"You conveniently having a gun when Rose outed you was an accident? Somehow… I don't exactly believe that."

"I didn't mean to shoot her."

"You didn't shoot her. You shot Rose." I told her. She wrinkled her nose slightly.

"I know who I shot."

"You don't seem sorry." I told her.

"She gave me away, how could I be sorry?"

"You framed her." I snapped.

"It had to be done. I wanted change, and taking Tatiana out of the picture was the only way to do it." She told me. I shook my head, and ran a hand through my hair.

"You framed Rose. Rose was almost put to death because of you." I snapped at her. Regardless of mine and Rose's history, I considered her a best friend, and would have been extremely upset had anything happened to her, especially because of my aunt.

"I knew she wouldn't go down that easily." She stated.

"Then, you almost killed her."

"That part was an accident."She said.

"No… None of this was an accident, Tasha. All of this was because of you… because you're ignorant and stupid. Your no better than my mom and dad were." I snapped at her.

"I am not a strigoi."

"You killed an innocent woman, and almost killed my girlfriend and my best friend. You're equally as bad, Tasha." I told her. She shook her head violently.

"It was for a good cause… I was trying to help the moroi world. Is that so bad?"

"The way you went about it was. Tasha innocents died because of you." I told her, trying to keep a hold on my self control. It was difficult, when she sincerely thought she wasn't in the wrong.

"Christian, you've got to help me; you've got to get me out of here." She whispered. I raised my eyebrows, sure I hadn't heard right.

"I'm sorry… what?"

"Help me get out of here. You helped Rose escape; you've got to help me. They're going to kill me." She said. I just stared at her, completely caught off guard by what she was asking.

"No." I finally said.

"What? What do you mean no? You're going to let me die?" She asked. She was the only family I had left, but... She wasn't as innocent as Rose was when I helped her escape.

"There's nothing I can do for you."

"Get me out of here, Christian. I'm your Aunt… You're seriously going to let them put me to death?" She asked, in shock.

"You were in the wrong… It isn't as if you don't deserve it."

"Christian… You don't mean that. I'm your aunt. I'm the only family you've got left, and you're going to let them take me from you?" I took a deep breath, before stating the next word loud, and stern.

"Yes."

"What kind of family are you? I would save you in a heartbeat if the situation were reversed." She told me, reaching through the bars for me. I took another step back, even though she was nowhere near me.

"That's the thing… I would never be in this situation, because I never would have been so stupid as to kill the queen and try to frame someone. You should have known better." I told her.

"You're kidding right? Come on Chris?" She said, using my nickname.

"No." I said again. "You don't deserve to be saved." Tears welled to my eyes as the words left my lips.

"You're going to let them kill me?"

"Yes." I whispered.

"Christian, don't do this. You need me. I'm all you've got." She said.

"Wrong… I've got Lissa, and all of my friends. I don't need you. I never did. You took care of me because I was alone after mom and dad died, but I didn't even need you then. I would have made it just fine on my own, but now… You made just as bad of a choice as they did. You don't deserve mercy. You almost killed Lissa, you killed Adrian's Aunt. You should be ashamed for what you've done, but you're not. You stand here, still continuing to think you're in the right."

"I was right. All of the moroi bow down, and run like cowards when times get hard and it needs to change. Tatiana has her traditions shoved so far up her ass; she would have never changed them. The moroi society needs change, and-."

"But people shouldn't have had to die because of it." I snapped at her, my voice rising slightly.

"You don't understand, and I don't expect you to, but you've got to save me, Christian. Please, don't let them do this."

"I'm not saving you, Tasha… You're on your own." I told her.

"No… You're not going to walk out on me… You're not going to do this." She said. I turned from her.

"Goodbye Tasha." I told her, not addressing her with a title anymore. As far as I was concerned, she was nothing to me.

"You're a sorry excuse for family. You walking away and letting me die; you're as bad as your father. You're a coward. You'll never stand up for what you want, what's right." She growled. I turned, angry then. I felt my palms get hot as my element rose to the surface.

"You're wrong… I'm ten times more the man than my father ever was. I'm standing up for what I want right now. You don't deserve your freedom. You deserve everything you're going to get. I hope it was worth it, because now… Change is going to happen, and you're not even going to get to witness it. I hope you're happy, Tasha." I yelled at her, the words rushing out of me. I felt the flames come to my hands. I felt a drop of sweat run down my face.

"DON'T." She growled.

"Goodbye." I said, walking down the hall. Angry tears were running down my face as I exited. I needed Lissa. I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, as I walked back towards our room, wiping tears as I went.


	4. Right & Wrong!

Lissa's face looked really concerned as she got off the phone with Christian. Once she was off the phone, she kind of stared down at it for a second.

"What's going on, is he okay?" I asked her. She nodded.

"He's alright. He's upset. I need to go to him. You don't mind, do you?" She asked.

"I want to go with you." I said.

"Rose, I don't think he needs to be around-." I cut her off.

"Lissa, regardless of everything… Christian is one of my best friends." I told her. She stared at me for a second, and smiled.

"I think that's the first time you've ever referred to him as anything other than fire boy or a pain-in-your-ass." She said. I laughed.

"Yeah, don't get used to it." I told her. We got everything together, and I followed her out onto the back deck, which I guess was where he was. When I needed fresh air, this was where I came too, so I understood. He was standing at the railing, staring off into the distance. I could only imagine what seeing Tasha down there had done to him. I knew what it did to Lissa seeing me down there, so I could only imagine it was ten times worse for him since Tasha was basically the only family he had left.

"Christian…" Lissa murmured. The moment he turned around, I had to fight back tears. I'd known Christian for a while, but I never thought that I would ever see him cry. He met my eyes for less than as second before wrapping his arms around Lissa, and burying his face into her collar bone. She just kept assuring him that it would be alright, and ran her hands through his hair. It was almost as if we had the bond again. I could see the sympathy and sorry radiating off Lissa. I knew she wished there was something she could do, but knew there was nothing to be done. When she released him, she took her face in his hands and kissed him. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you have to do this, but we'll get through it. We'll survive, like we always do." She promised him. He just nodded, obviously afraid to speak. His eyes finally left her, and fell on me.

"Lissa, can I talk to Christian alone for a minute?" I asked. She turned around and gave me a strange look. I hadn't been expecting it either, but I had something I wanted to say without her around to argue my case. I knew that wouldn't make it any better anyway. She looked at him.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He just nodded again. "I'll be in the room. Come up when you're ready, okay." She told him, before kissing him again, and walking inside. When the door closed behind her, I looked up at Christian who was already looking down.

"You know, out of our entire crew, you were the last person I ever thought I'd see cry." I said. He half-ass smirked. I smiled and walked over to him, taking his face in my hands, and wiping the tears with my thumbs. "We're going to get you through this, Christian. Just like you've helped us all get through everything else."

"She's..." He stopped, and took a deep breath. "She's all I have left, Rose. I know she doesn't deserve sympathy, but she's the last of my blood. It's not going to be easy to just let her die." He said.

"I know that. I know. You're talking to the girl that trekked half-way across the world to hunt down and kill the man she loved. I know what it's like to have to let someone go like that. You wanna know how I got through it?"

"How?" He asked.

"He wasn't the same person when I went after him, and Christian, Tasha is not the same person she once was. Something dark has risen within her. I don't know why, or what it is, but it's bad." I told him.

"I know. She still thinks she's right. It would have been so much easier if I would have went down there and she would have been sorry and crying, and so upset for what she'd done, but she wasn't. Atleast then, I'd have a reason to sympathize for her, but she wasn't upset. She still believes she was in the right, and she did what had to be done for change. Now the only reason I feel bad is because she really is all I have left." He said, looking at the ground.

"No, she isn't." I said, pulling his face up to look at me. "You've got Lissa, and me, and Dimitri, and… Regardless of everything, if he ever returns, you've got Adrian. Christian, don't you ever think for a second that you're alone in anything, because you're not. We may not be blood, but we'll damn sure be here forever." I told him. I looked down. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I was free, Christian. I was out of this place; they would have never found us where we were. I was a free woman when we escaped, but I came back, I had to clear my name. I had to be noble, when the world might have been better off not knowing. You would have been better off not knowing."

"Rose, do not apologize for doing what's right. She framed you. I wouldn't ever ask you to live your life away from everything you love just to keep my Aunt around." He said.

"I still feel like this part of it all could have been avoided." I said. He shook his head.

"No… You did the right thing. As bad as I feel, she deserves what she's getting. It'll be hard to let her go, but it's all I can do. I love her, but not enough to break her out and take the chance on her killing someone else." He told me. "She asked me to help her escape."

"You told her no." I stated. He nodded.

"She argued that I helped you escape, so I could help her too. I wouldn't." He said. "She's not innocent like you were."

"I think we all would have been better off in the dark." I told him.

"No, Rose…stop it. If you wouldn't have come back and told the truth, you would have had to live your life on the run. You would never have been truly happy. You would have given up Lissa and Adrian just to keep from outing Tasha. That's not right. That would have been so selfish of me to let you do that."

"If I wouldn't have come back, Lissa wouldn't have been elected queen, I wouldn't have been shot, we would still have the bond, and someone else would have been elected for the throne… and none of us would have to deal with it." I said. He grabbed my shoulders, and met my eyes.

"No… I know that after you outted her, it caused quite a stir, and it definitely was a hard time for everyone, but none of us would be as strong as we are today had you not. Look at all of us… Lissa's finally doing her family name justice. I'm actually proving that Ozera isn't such a bad name to carry after all, regardless of everything else; I believe I represent my family… the good part of my family better than anyone. You and Dimitri are together and happy, we've all grown stronger. It's shaped us more as people. I wouldn't change it." He said, honestly. I smiled.

"This may not mean much coming from me, but I'm so proud of the man you've become. You have earned your title, Lord Ozera." I said, bowing slightly. He nodded at me once.

"It does mean a lot coming from you, Rose." I wrapped my arms around him, and hugged him tight.

"I love you Christian. You're like the brother I never had, and I'm always going to be here for you."

"Love you too, Rose." He said. When we broke our embrace, I smiled.

"Now go upstairs to Lissa, who I'm sure is freaking out over why I asked to talk to you alone." I said.

"You knew she'd argue your case for you." He said. I nodded.

"We know that better than anyone." I said. He smiled.

"I'll see you later, Rose." He said, walking around me and inside. I stood there for a second, staring out over the mountains. The sun was starting to set, so I headed inside, hoping Dimitri was back. When I reached our room, I found it empty. I was slightly disappointed. I sat down at the counter, looking at a magazine when about thirty minutes later, the door opened. I looked up to find Dimitri in one piece as he walked in. I was extremely happy. He looked slightly uneasy though.

"How'd it go?"

"It went good for the most part." He said. Of course it couldn't have went great and that been the end of it. He laid his bag down by the door, and kicked off his boots since they were caked in mud and what looked like blood as well.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine… I'm just tired." He said. The moment the words left his lips, I knew he was lying. I could see he was tired, but there was more than that.

"Dimitri, what happened?" I asked him, standing up. I was becoming extremely concerned. He shook his head.

"Nothing happened, Roza. I'm tired. It's been a long day, chasing down everything your father shot." He told me. I smiled.

"You didn't shoot anything?" I asked.

"I shot a buck, but he wasn't as big as the ones your father shot." He said, simply. His replies were clipped and short, and I could tell something was bothering him. I wondered what had been said, or what happened out there that he wasn't telling me. I walked around the counter, and over to hug him.

"I'm nasty. I've been in the woods all day." He warned. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't care. I've missed you." I said, simply. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"I missed you too." He whispered into my hair. "I'm going to go get a shower, okay?"

"Okay." I said. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my lips before releasing me. I just nodded and let him go. He walked into the bedroom, grabbing a change of clothes and heading into the bathroom. I sighed and walked into our room, sitting down on our bed. I was going over all the possible things that could have happened today, but they were all very reasonable, so I wasn't able to exactly guess. When he got out and walked out in his athletic shorts and soaking wet hair, I sighed. He truly was beautiful in all aspects of the word. He threw his dirty clothes in the hamper, and stood at the end of the bed.

"So, now that you're clean… do you wanna tell me what's bothering you?" I asked.

"Roza, nothing is bothering me. I'm fine. I told you, I'm-."

"Look me in the eye and tell me something isn't bothering you." I said, simply. He looked up and met my gaze, but sighed. "See… I can't help if I don't know."

"You can't help. It's all me." He said.

"Tell me? Let me try to make it better?" I asked, patting the space next to me on the bed. He crawled in and laid his head in my lap like a small child would do to their mother at story time. I ran a hand through his damp hair as he spoke.

"I just had to talk about a lot of things today, that I don't really feel comfortable discussing, things only you knew about me. Like you said, I couldn't lie to them though. I told them the truth, about everything they asked."

"Things like what?" I asked.

"When I was a strigoi, what happened with me and my father when I was sixteen, what happened with Adrian, why I pushed you away after I was restored. Talking about it all today just made it weigh on me." He said.

"Dimitri, all of that stuff is unimportant now. Everything is fine, none of that matters anymore."

"Not all of it has been made right, Rose." He said. Automatically, I knew which one he was referring too. _Adrian. _I sighed.

"There's nothing we can do for him. He's gone." I stated simply.

"I feel horrible about it, Rose."

"We both do. I tried to make it right before he left. He wouldn't let me. I don't blame him." I finally admitted. "Lissa and I talked about him today too, but I pushed it outta my mind. I had more important things to deal with."

"He'll forgive you. It's me he'll never forgive." Dimitri said. In that moment, I could see how important Adrian's forgiveness was to him. We knew what we were getting into when it happened though, but unfortunately we didn't think of the consequences and the people we'd hurt until after. I sighed.

"He's not going to forgive me. I don't know why you all think that." I said.

"Because he loves you." He said, simply.

"I love him, but not in the same way. He needs to understand that." I said.

"That doesn't make what happened, right." He said. I shook my head.

"No… God no. I know it doesn't." I sighed. "I don't deserve his forgiveness."

"Neither of us does." He said. I nodded. "How'd things go with Lissa today?" He was trying to lighten the mood.

"Good until Christian called."

"What happened?" He asked, rolling over to look up at me.

"He was a little broken up about his aunt. I talked to him a little bit, and assured him that we were always here if he needed us, and how much we loved him, and that we'd help him through this." I explained.

"Losing her won't be easy on him." He said, looking back down now.

"It won't be easy on you either." I whispered.

"What?"

"Regardless of everything, she was a close friend of yours… maybe even more at one point. You know you don't want her to die." I said. He sighed.

"She almost took you away from me. She killed an innocent and sent our entire world into a frenzy due to her stupidity. It will be a sad day, yes… but I will never forgive her for what she's done." He told me. I smiled and twined my fingers into his hair.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too, Roza." He said. I laid down and snuggled up into his arms. This time, we'd both made it out unscathed. I guess we were a little more bulletproof than we thought.

**A/N: Alright guys, this story is done. You wanted me to continue to when Dimitri got home from the trip, so I did. I hope you liked it. I really enjoyed writing the ChristianXRose bonding moment. Anywho… Thanks for reading. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I love all of you, and check out my current Fan-Fic, Walk on Water or Drown. 3 **


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